CHICAGO – The UIC women's basketball team (3-13, 1-4 HL) captured its first Horizon League victory under the tenure of first-year head coach Tasha Pointer on Friday evening, topping Oakland (4-11, 1-3 HL), 69-65, in overtime fashion.

Senior Brittany Byrd scored her 1,000th career point from the free-throw line with just 18 seconds left to go in regulation, putting UIC within one. Jasmine Gaines stole the ball on Oakland's next possession and tied the game from the free-throw line, and good defense in the remaining 12 seconds forced a missed layup for the Golden Grizzlies to send the game into overtime.

The Flames took advantage of Oakland's mistakes and drew key fouls in overtime to get the 69-65 win, snapping an eight-game losing streak.    

First Half Highlights

• Jada Nneji made one on the second try for UIC's first score, but the Golden Grizzlies put one in from downtown on its next possession, 3-2. Neither team scored in the next three minutes, until Oakland was able to lay one up, which Kiarra Thompson answered with a three to even the score at five each.
• Another triple from Thompson and back-to-back short jumpers from Nneji gave the Flames a 12-7 lead, and the lead grew to seven by the end of the first ten minutes, 16-9.
• UIC's lead reached double-digits after a Brittany Byrd three, 23-13, but the Golden Grizzlies scored the next five unanswered to cut the lead in half, 23-18. The Flames were able to keep the Oakland offense relatively quiet for the remainder of the half, finishing out the half with a 6-2 run and a 29-20 lead.

Second Half Highlights

• The Golden Grizzlies opened up the second half with a 10-2 run to come within one, 31-30, and after another 11 points went unanswered they had their first lead, 41-33.
• Etheridge sank a long ball for three to end the streak, but the Flames would head into the final quarter down by nine, 45-36.
• Good defense and quick, clean offense gave the Flames an 8-3 run and the chance to chip away at Oakland's lead, 48-44.
• The Flames trailed by just two with two minutes to go, 51-49, but the Golden Grizzlies drove in a pair of layups in the next minute to push the gap up to six, 55-49.
• Thompson went 1-of-2 at the free-throw line and then came up with a big steal in UIC's offensive zone to put the Flames within one possession with just under 30 seconds to go, 55-52.
• Byrd's 1,000 point came as part of a perfect 2-of-2 showing at the free-throw line, putting the Flames within one, 55-54.
• Gaines swatted the ball out of Oakland's hands and drew a foul, earning her a trip to the line, where she was able to tie the game at 55. The Golden Grizzlies got the rebound but missed the layup, pushing the game into overtime.

Overtime Highlights

• Byrd laid one up to allow the Flames to strike first in overtime, but Oakland came right back, tying the game at 57. UIC went up by three after free throws and a jumper from Gaines, but Oakland's leading scorer, Taylor Jones, closed the gap with a long shot for three.
• Thompson took an Oakland inbound pass for herself and passed it off to Etheridge under the hoop to put UIC back up by two, 63-61.
• Thompson went 2-of-2 from the free throw line to extend UIC's lead to two possessions, 66-62, and the Flames never looked back, ending it with a 69-65 win.

Facts & Figures

• Brittany Byrd ended the night with 16 points to become just the 23rd player in program history to eclipse 1,000 career points. The senior was also one rebound shy of a double-double with nine.
• Jada Nneji tallied an equal 15 points and 15 rebounds for her second-straight double-double. Nneji also blocked seven, marking her third showing of five or more blocks this season.
• Kiarra Thompson led the Flames with a career-high 17 points. The sophomore also added five rebounds and a personal-best five steals.
• Catera Etheridge added eight points for the Flames, while Jasmine Gaines tallied a personal-best seven.
• Abreanna Lake contributed four points and a career-high four steals on defense.
• The Flames made 34.8 percent of their shots compared to 31.6 percent for Oakland.
• The Golden Grizzlies had the advantage in rebounds, 58-48.
• Oakland profited 20 points from UIC turnovers, while the Flames cashed in 16 off Golden Grizzly miscues. Both teams ended the night with 22 turnovers.
• The Golden Grizzlies also had the advantage in the paint, 36-26, as well as in second-chance points, 14-11. Oakland's bench outscored UIC's 16-6.

Up Next

• The Flames welcome Detroit Mercy to Credit Union 1 Arena on Sunday, Jan. 13 at noon CT.

Highlights

 

Postgame Reaction - Tasha Pointer